$80 Million Tax Plan to Fund Soccer Stadium Scrapped in St. Louis

Since unveiling their grand plans in November, the ownership group trying to establish a pro soccer team in St. Louis has insisted that city and state funding — a total of $120 million — would be critical to landing a coveted MLS franchise.

The lion's share of that money, $80 million, was expected to come from St. Louis taxpayers, with residents slated to vote on the considerable outlay. But in a surprise move this morning, the bill's sponsor, Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia, announced that she is junking the proposal.

"That bill will not be moving forward," said Ingrassia during a meeting of the aldermanic Ways & Means Committee, as reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The bill would have directed revenue from an increase to the city's "use tax" (a sales tax that businesses pay on out-of-state purchases) to fund the stadium's construction.

Jim Woodcock, a spokesman for the ownership group, tells Riverfront Times that Ingrassia's announcement came without warning. "We met with Christine Ingrassia Friday for almost two hours," Woodcock says. "We followed up with multiple emails of information she requested over the weekend and [we] left her phone messages yesterday and last night. She has not called or responded to us, so until we hear from her directly, it's hard to respond to statements made in the media."

Read more: http://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2017/01/10/80-million-tax-plan-to-fund-soccer-stadium-scrapped-in-st-louis